﻿﻿INTRODUCTIONThe name of this blog is “Hooray for Hollywood,” and usually I write about just that, Hollywood. However, there are times in life when you realize what is most important. My grandmother passed away two weeks ago. No, she was not a movie star. I don’t recall discussing film or Hollywood with her at length. But she meant more to me than any star or Hollywood ever could. If it wasn’t for my parents and grandparents, I would be nothing. You go through life wondering how things will turn out, wondering if you will be successful at what it is you want to do. Looking back, I know now that I have always been a success because my grandmother loved me. And in the end, no matter what happens in life, no matter where you go, or what changes around you, that’s all that really matters.

REGINA L. MIELNIK LONCKI (REGIE) SEPTEMBER 1, 1927 – FEBRUARY 9, 2015I would like to share this eulogy that was read at my grandmother’s funeral and written by my mother and myself:My mom wore many hats.She accepted responsibility at an early age. She helped her parents care for her younger brothers and sisters, and had many chores to do around the house. So much so, her sister Dorothy called her Mama Regie. So my mother was a caretaker for her family.My mother was a devoted wife to my father for almost 60 years. She cared for him, kept his schedule of meals that he liked to follow, and kept him busy with her many shopping lists. And when they were dating, she didn’t want to embarrass him so she would wear flat shoes because she didn’t want to look taller. My father was six foot two, and she was five foot two.My mother was devoted to my brother and me. There is nothing she wouldn’t do for us. And she never complained. She taught us all our prayers. I can remember many a night when we were small, kneeling in her bedroom saying our rosaries. She made sure we always had nice clothes and we were neat and clean, and that we were respectful and used our manners.She expected my brother and I to do well in school, something she couldn’t finish herself. And even though she didn’t graduate from high school, she was one of the smartest persons I knew. She could spell anything I needed help with, was pretty good at math, and could write beautiful letters. She also liked to take over our school projects until we begged her not to.My mother was tough. When someone was picking on my brother in grade school, my mother was waiting on the porch when the young boy was walking home from school, and gave him a piece of her mind! He didn’t bother my brother again.Mom was very devoted to her church, St. Hedwig’s. She was the longest serving President of the Rosary Society and raised so much money for them. For instance, she was able to buy the carpeting for the whole church. Her Rosary Card Parties were famous. She took great care in choosing the right gifts for Chinese auction and special raffles, and they were very successful. And let’s not forget the Election Day bake sales that raised money for the church! She was also on the choir, helped to clean the church, and washed and ironed the Priest’s albs and the altar cloths. She was also in charge of decorating the church for Christmas and Easter. All done beautifully!My mother was a devoted homemaker, baker, and cook. Her sheet brownies and yellow cake with chocolate frosting, (a favorite of my father’s) pineapple squares, orange fluff jello, and nut rolls were some of her specialties. As well as Sunday dinner, chicken and roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy. We always enjoyed going to mom’s house for Sunday dinner and spend hours visiting. We never went hungry as she always made sure we ate.My mother loved polka music and going to dances in her younger days. She was very proud of my brother’s polka show that was on many years ago, and she recorded all his shows for him. I can still see her with her finger on the record button waiting for the show to begin. Her favorite artist was Lil’ Wally. My mother and my father always enjoyed going to his dances and standing in front of the bandstand to watch him perform. When we were older, she would take me and my brother to see him in Buffalo or Cleveland. I thought we were seeing a major star. We would go to Erie’s Polka Days and this would be one of the big events of the year for her. These were probably some of her happiest times. She collected angels. She was an avid catalog shopper with Sears and JC Penney’s. They knew her by name and my father would be there often picking up her orders.My mom loved politics and watching elections and was a loyal democrat. She loved President Kennedy and collected everything about him, so much so I thought we were related! She loved to watch investigative shows. And her most recent favorites were Princess Kate, Prince William and baby George.My mom kept up our beautiful Polish traditions. We never missed Christmas Wigilia or Easter Swieconka. And Polish Christmas music, Koledy. Our house was always so beautifully decorated for Christmas; my mom was like an interior decorator. The fireplace and mirror had those poinsettia lights and trees and angels. The windows had a Christmas star and candles and lights and tinsel. The village under the tree was always a sight! She had made all the ceramic Christmas houses for herself and for me and my brother for our trees. And the outside was decorated from the roof to the porch with many lights, a church, angels and a manger where Lil’ Wally Koledy would be playing.My mother was a wonderful grandmother. She was very proud of her grandchildren Bobby and Bethany, Matthew and Aaron, and loved to hear what they were doing. She was a great babysitter for Bobby and Bethany and they always enjoyed spending time with grandma and paco. When I still lived upstairs at the old house, she would come upstairs in the evening and help with Bobby’s bath and sing “He’s got the whole world in his hands.” In the summer, Bobby would be excited to go to Camp Grandma (which I called it), and she played for hours with him and helped set up Bobby’s play store, and was a devoted customer. And she enjoyed reading books to Bethany and watching Bethany perform. My mom helped take great care of Bobby and kept him occupied when I was having problems with my pregnancy. And Bobby loved to talk to grandma on the phone. He remembers her teaching him Polish songs and words in Polish.My mother was a constant worrier. She believed if she didn’t worry, then that meant she didn’t love us. So she worried a lot. After I moved out of the old house to our new home, I would have to call her by 9 o’clock every morning. Well, sometimes, I missed. My mother would engage reinforcements. One time I went to the chiropractor and thought I would be home in time to call her, but I wasn’t. When I did come home, one of the neighbors came over to tell me my mother had called her to see if I was alright, because I didn’t call. So, she had my neighbor’s phone numbers just in case. Another time, we decided to take Bob out to dinner for his birthday. I didn’t think to tell my mother. Well, she called the house and I didn’t answer. So this time, she sent my father over to see if we were still alive. If the kids got a cold, it might as well have been pneumonia as far as she was concerned. So, sometimes we didn’t tell her………My mom was our bishop. If the weather was bad, she would call and say, you’re not taking Bobby to church! It’s too bad out, so she would grant us dispensation for not going to church in bad weather. And also told me when I should keep the kids home from school in bad weather.She always worked hard and kept busy. After my father passed away on April 17, 2007, a part of my mother seemed to die along with him. He was her rock and nothing was ever quite the same. She had cared for him for so long, that she no longer knew what else to do. And now she is at peace. And now my parents are together again, and my mother is reunited with her parents and brothers and sisters. I wish you rest, mom. You deserve it. I never wanted to say goodbye to my mother, so we would always say goodnight. So good night mom, love you. “Idź z Bogiem” “Go with God.”The Watcher by Margaret Widdemer She always leaned to watch for us Anxious if we were late, In winter by the window, In summer by the gate. And though we mocked her tenderly Who had such foolish care, The long way home would seem more safe, Because she waited there. Her thoughts were all so full of us, She never could forget, And so I think that where she is She must be watching yet. Waiting ‘til we come home to her Anxious if we are late Watching from Heaven’s window Leaning from Heaven’s gate.﻿﻿

No, he is not a movie star, but my grandfather, Chester Loncki. I would like to dedicate this blog to him on what would have been his 90th birthday this Veterans Day.My grandfather was part of the Greatest Generation.One of the reasons I love old movies is because of my grandfather. I used to watch them with him all the time, and ask him about the old stars. I remember his laughter at Laurel and Hardy. Some of his other favorites were “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” “Mrs. Miniver,” “It’s A Wonderful Life.” He used to take my mother to see the Summer Classic Movies at the Warner Theater in Erie. (Why did they ever stop showing these?!)I also got my interest in old music from my grandfather. He played accordion with his Polka Band and played other types of music. I have all of his sheet music and his large collection of records of which I have increased by astronomical amounts. I would also like to honor him on Veterans Day because he was a veteran of World War ll and was involved in the invasion of Normandy on D-Day. A quiet man who was called to do his duty right after high school graduation like so many brave young men. He was wounded at St. Lo on July 17, 1944, four years to the day his father died. He was presented the Jubilee of Freedom Medal by the government of France in 1997. He used to write letters during the war to my grandmother as they were friends first, and thank God my grandmother kept several of them. He would tell her what he was doing, what he ate at the Red Cross Club, and simple little things that helped pass the time. One of the things he enjoyed was the movies they showed the soldiers. And this is what I want to make an occasional series in my blog. The movies my grandfather saw during the war.So this is for my beloved grandfather who passed away in 2007, (whom I called “Paco.” I called him that instead of grandpa for some reason and it stuck!) I miss him every day.The first movie I will talk about is “Keep Your Powder Dry,” from 1945, starring Lana Turner, Laraine Day, and Susan Peters. It was so good, he saw it twice! My grandfather’s review from his August 30, 1945 letter was, “It was a picture about the WAC’s and it was comical and I enjoyed it very much.”When I saw this film, I agreed with my grandfather’s sentiments exactly. Though I usually enjoy her in movies, it was hard to like Laraine Day in this picture. She played an army brat who was a know-it-all and she expected everyone to play by the rules. Lana Turner plays a rich heiress who won’t come into any more of her money unless she gives up her selfish ways. She enlists in the WACS and finds out she likes it and feels like she is doing something worthy. Susan Peters plays the wife of an army officer overseas. Also in this film are Agnes Moorhead who plays a tough Lieutenant Colonel with a heart, June Lockhart as another WAC, and Natalie Schafer as one of Lana’s socialite friends. This was a morale booster for women in the service.Sadly, after this movie was made, Susan Peters was involved in a hunting accident with her husband, actor and later director, Richard Quine, and she was paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair. She died in 1952 at the age of 31 from complications of her injury and also she had given up the will to live.

This month Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Friday Night Spotlight Series will feature Classic Pre-Code. Pre-Code is the term used for films made between the late 1920’s and early 1934, when studios made titillating and so-called scandalous movies, even when a Production Code had been in place since 1930. After many protests from civic groups, women groups, and some religious groups, Hollywood producers and studios were forced to implement the Production Code with several morals clauses; such as, “You cannot have a film that would lower the moral standards of someone that would see it.” “You cannot show a criminal getting away with something, there must be payment or retribution for his crime.” “No sympathy for criminals.” “You cannot present adultery or scenes of passion attractively.” “No lustful kissing.” “No man or woman in bed together.” The list goes on and on.

In my humble opinion as a film historian, I find the pre-code films are for adults and tastefully done for the most part. It is not like porn, the way some reviewers react. They giggle at hearing a bad word or seeing woman undress. I do not see that at all. If you want to find out more may I recommend Sin in Soft Focus: Pre-Code Hollywood by MarkA. Vieira. I consider it to be the best resourced book on the subject. Mark Vieira is its foremost authority, and it is packed with tons of photographs.Three Wise Girls (1932). Starring Jean Harlow, Mae Clarke, Marie Prevost. Three girls look for rich husbands. A simple storyline; I saw this movie a while ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I especially like the soda fountain scenes, something that was once so prevalent in America, sadly missing today.Lady Killer (1933) Starring James Cagney, Mae Clarke, and Margaret Lindsay. A comedy about a gangster who gets mixed up in Hollywood. In the movie, Cagney’s character starts out as a theater usher and we get to see the actual uniform the usher would wear at Warner Brothers own theater. Also, Cagney mistreats poor Mae Clarke again.Possessed (1931) Starring Joan Crawford and Clark Gable. Joan is a shop girl who falls in love with a politician. This movie is most known for the chemistry between Gable and Crawford, which was 100% real! She was married in real life to Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Gable was married to Ria Langham. They were both unhappy in these marriages and had a torrid love affair.The Mind Reader (1933) Starring Warren William, Constance Cummings, and Allen Jenkins. I have not seen this film, and it is very rare. Warren William is con artist who tries to goes straight after he falls in love.Beauty and the Boss (1932) Starring Warren William, Marian Marsh, Charles Butterworth and David Manners A banker tired of being attracted to his secretaries hires a frumpy girl.Waterloo Bridge (1931) Starring Mae Clarke, Kent Douglass, and Bette Davis. A prostitute falls in love with a soldier in France during World War ll. Mae Clarke is superb in this movie struggling through poverty and the shame in what she has to do to keep herself alive. However, poor Kent Douglass who plays the soldier she falls in love with is really out of place here. The director, James Whale, worked with him intensely, but he still cannot act.Hot Saturday (1932) Starring Nancy Carroll, Cary Grant, Randolph Scott, Lilian Bond, Jane Darwell, and Rose Coghlan. This is a film which I am very excited to tell you about because I am completely obsessed with it! I cannot remember how many times I have watched it! In it your typical American “Flapper” Ruth Brock (Carroll) works as a bank clerk in a small town that according to the opening titles: “Marysville boasted of one bank, two fire engines, four street cars, and a busy telephone exchange. Everyone knew on Sunday what everyone else did on Saturday... and the rest of the week.” Although Ruth is a “good girl” it seems no matter what she does her mother (Darwell) disapproves. When lies spread about her after she attends a party at Willow Springs (a lake) things change for her. will she end up with an old friend of the family (Scott) or the newly arrived playboy in town (Grant?) This movie was Cary Grant’s first lead role and it is very easy to see why he rapidly ascended to stardom. Lillian Bond is SO beautiful that you wonder why she was not more popular. The real treat of this film is of course its star, Nancy Carroll. It is a shame that she is not more remembered today. She was one of Paramount’s biggest stars of the 1930’s. Though I have seen very little of her performances from what I have seen, I consider her one of the finest actresses to ever grace the screen. A very strange “Pre-Code Element” of this film is a scene where Ruth comes home to change clothes and finds out her sister is wearing her “unmentionables”. Let’s just say it is one of the strangest sister confrontations I have ever seen! The scene in the Willow Springs dance hall with the song I'm Burning for You by Arthur Johnston and Sam Coslow is one of those things that make me think I was born in the wrong time! With the music, clothes and excellent cinematography it just personifies the late 1920’s early 1930’s era for me!

Blonde Crazy (1932) Starring James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Louis Calhern, Guy Kibbee, and Ray Milland. Cagney and Blondell work at a hotel and con people out of their money. Of course, with those two aboard, watch for fast talking and wisecracks! Joan Blondell with poor, unassuming Guy Kibbee is also a riot. This movie also became famous for another Cagney line, “That dirty double-crossin’ rat!” For years Cagney impressionists used the line as “Mmmm, you dirty rat!” Skyscraper Souls (1932) Starring Warren William, Maureen O’Sullivan, Verree Teasdale, and Anita Page. A man obsessed (William) with his new 100 story building in New York will do anything to control every aspect of the building and the lives of everyone in it. I don’t know how anyone could not love this film. What’s not to love. Between the beautiful art deco set and Warren William’s ramblings about “the building,” (which he also has an apartment in)! This film to me has one of the greatest Pre-Code casts ever. And although I love Grand Hotel, I feel this film is a hundred times better. William plays a perfect scoundrel as usual. He’s rotten, but you can’t help but like him. Maureen O’Sullivan is so young and delicate here, just coming off her role as Jane in Tarzan. I always feel that she is overlooked for her other roles because of that. She has so much more to offer. But the real reason I am writing about this is I finally get to put a plug in for my first movie crush, Miss Anita Page! She is not in this film much, so if you don’t know her, it’s probably not the best film to introduce her in. However, she steals any scene she is in. For the other films listed for TCM, please check your local listings for the times.

Hope you watch and enjoy!!!

Note: Due to technical difficulties Images from the rest of the films listed will appear in the photo galleries below.

Waterloo Bridge (1931)

Blonde Crazy (1932)

Skyscraper Souls (1932)

This month Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Friday Night Spotlight Series will feature Classic Pre-Code. Pre-Code is the term used for films made between the late 1920’s and early 1934, when studios made titillating and so-called scandalous movies, even when a Production Code had been in place since 1930. After many protests from civic groups, women groups, and some religious groups, Hollywood producers and studios were forced to implement the Production Code with several morals clauses; such as, “You cannot have a film that would lower the moral standards of someone that would see it.” “You cannot show a criminal getting away with something, there must be payment or retribution for his crime.” “No sympathy for criminals.” “You cannot present adultery or scenes of passion attractively.” “No lustful kissing.” “No man or woman in bed together.” The list goes on and on. In my humble opinion as a film historian, I find the pre-code films are for adults and tastefully done for the most part. It is not like porn, the way some reviewers react. They giggle at hearing a bad word or seeing woman undress. I do not see that at all.﻿If you want to find out more may I recommend Sin in Soft Focus: Pre-Code Hollywood by MarkA. Vieira. I consider it to be the best resourced book on the subject. Mark Vieira is its foremost authority, and it is packed with tons of photographs.﻿Unlike last week, there are many films I am looking forward to seeing that I have not seen before. The Naughty Flirt (1931) is one I have not seen. Starring Alice White, Paul Page, and Myrna Loy. Alice White is one of my favorite actresses and she is much underrated. Unfortunately, she was involved in a tabloid sex scandal that ruined her career. (More about that in a future blog!) A romantic comedy about an heiress in love with the man who works at her father’s law firm, and a brother and sister who try to screw things up. If you love Clara Bow, so too will you love Alice White.Ten Cents A Dance (1931) Starring Barbara Stanwyck, Ricardo Cortez, Sally Blane and directed by Lionel Barrymore. If you loved Barbara in Pre-Code movies last week, get ready for more! This happens to be the very first Stanwyck picture I ever saw! The title comes from a song at the time that was popularized by Ruth Etting. In it Miss Stanwyck plays a married taxi dancer; (where a male patron pays to dance with her and she makes a commission.) This was a common occupation for young ladies during The Depression. Barbara although married falls in love with one of her customers. Sally Blane who is also in the movie as Molly is actress Loretta Young’s older sister.Union Depot (1932) Starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Joan Blondell, Alan Hale, and Guy Kibbee. Another movie I have not seen. It is the story of a group of people down on their luck when Fairbanks finds a suitcase full of money. From what I have read about Joan Blondell’s performance in this film, this is a must see! Bombshell (1933) Starring Jean Harlow, Lee Tracy, Franchot Tone, Una Merkel, and Frank Morgan. This movie is said to have been a parody of Clara Bow’s life as publicized in the press. However, it can also be said to be a parody of Jean Harlow’s own image, considering she is shown filming a scene from Red Dust, and the studio controlling her life. Watching this movie makes you wonder if this is how Harlow really felt. If you are unfamiliar with Jean Harlow, and think she is the Marilyn Monroe type “dumb blonde” as she is often portrayed in biopics and “certain” books, just know that her acting was good as she was gorgeous! The fact that Lee Tracy’s character was somewhat based on MGM’S publicity agent Howard Strickling, makes it seem as though it was actually taken out of Jean Harlow’s life. Lee Tracy’s performance is so fast and annoying that you have to pay attention, because he is always up to something. I never thought another actor could be louder than Pat O’Brien!Red Headed Woman (1932) Starring Jean Harlow, Chester Morris, and Una Merkel. Jean Harlow was known for her platinum blonde hair, Irving Thalberg cast her in her first film at MGM as a red-head. The script was written by Anita Loos, famous for writing Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. According to the book “Sin in Soft Focus Pre-Code Hollywood,” by Mark Vieira, when they saw the script and film, the censors had a fit! I have not seen this movie yet but according to TCM’s synopsis, it is about “an ambitious secretary who tries to sleep her way into high society.” I am looking forward to it!Red Dust (1932) Starring Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, and Mary Astor. Gable is a plantation owner in Indochina. He fools around with a married woman, Mary Astor, and a prostitute, Jean Harlow. Usually laid-back Clark Gable even thought some of the scenes were vulgar. There were some delays behind the scenes because as the movie was filming, Jean Harlow’s husband, Paul Bern either committed suicide or was murdered by his first wife who had some mental issues; it was never determined. If you feel this movie looks familiar to you, it was remade in 1953 as Mogambo, again starring Clark Gable, but this time with Grace Kelly and Ava Gardner.The Story of Temple Drake (1933) Starring Miriam Hopkins, William Gargan, and Jack La Rue. Of all the films I have not seen, this is the film I have most been looking forward to. A southern flirt gets more than she bargains for when she gets involved with a gangster. It involves very disturbing subject matter such as rape and violence.Freaks (1932) Starring Wallace Ford, Olga Baclanova, Harry Earles, and the Hilton Twins. I have never seen this yet, I have always wanted to. It is about a carnival with freaks and scandals. Directed by Tod Browning (who made "Dracula" the previous year) A very good friend of mine out Hollywood way calls this movie one of her “cinematic obsessions!” So, this should be very interesting for me.For the other films listed for TCM, please check your local listings for the times.

Hope you watch and enjoy!!!

Alice White and Paul Page in "The Naughty Flirt" (1931) Credit: Toronto Film Society Used under fair use.

﻿This month Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Friday Night Spotlight Series will feature Classic Pre-Code. Pre-Code is the term used for films made between the late 1920’s and early 1934, when studios made titillating and so-called scandalous movies, even when a Production Code had been in place since 1930. After many protests from civic groups, women groups, and some religious groups, Hollywood producers and studios were forced to implement the Production Code with several morals clauses; such as, “You cannot have a film that would lower the moral standards of someone that would see it.” “You cannot show a criminal getting away with something, there must be payment or retribution for his crime.” “No sympathy for criminals.” “You cannot present adultery or scenes of passion attractively.” “No lustful kissing.” “No man or woman in bed together.” The list goes on and on. ﻿In my humble opinion as a film historian, I find the pre-code films are for adults and tastefully done for the most part. It is not like porn, the way some reviewers react. They giggle at hearing a bad word or seeing woman undress. I do not see that at all.If you want to find out more may I recommend Sin in Soft Focus: Pre-Code Hollywood by MarkA. Vieira. I consider it to be the best resourced book on the subject. Mark Vieira is its foremost authority, and it is packed with tons of photographs.One of my favorites on the first day September 5th is Barbara Stanwyck. If you only know her from her later years or for her role on The Big Valley, then you are in for a “reel” treat! Illicit (1931) is a good one to start with, because you will fall in love with her right away. Starring Barbara Stanwyck, James Rennie, Ricardo Cortez, Natalie Moorhead, Charles Butterworth and Joan Blondell. Barbara stars as a free spirit who would rather live with her boyfriend then marry him to keep the relationship fresh. Night Nurse (1931) is what I call an essential pre-code film. Directed by William Wellman it features an all-star cast. Besides Stanwyck there is Ben Lyon, Joan Blondell, along with child star Marcia Mae Jones, and a very young Clark Gable (without mustache) just before he made it big. Nurse Lora Hart (Stanwyck) finds more than she bargained for when she is hired to care for two young children.Baby Face (1933) Starring Barbara Stanwyck, George Brent, and John Wayne. Barbara always plays the down-trodden working class girl. It is the story of a woman who grows up in a steel mill town, where her father forces her to be abused and used by men. She finally escapes to the big city and gets even with men in high positions with her sex and power (including a young John Wayne) to exploit them! Incidentally, the steel mill town she is said to be from is my hometown of Erie, PA! It did not look as bad in 1933 as they portray it in the movie. But boy can I relate to her wanting to get out!The Divorcee (1930) Starring Norma Shearer, Robert Montgomery, and Chester Morris. When Norma Shearer finds out her husband has been cheating, she does the same. In real life, Norma was married to the Production Chief of MGM, Irving Thalberg. Strangely enough, Thalberg did not think this role was appropriate for his wife, and was going to give it to Joan Crawford. However, Norma went to a new photographer George Hurrell, who took some provocative pictures of her thus proving to her husband, Thalberg, that she was made for this role. ﻿Footlight Parade (1933) Starring James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, and Guy Kibbee. Warner Brothers in 1933 had two major musical hits, 42nd Street and Gold Diggers of 1933.One of their biggest stars of the time was James Cagney who shot to fame in 1931’s The Public Enemy. This led to Cagney being type casted in similar gangster roles. However, Jimmy was unhappy for this is not how he wanted to be known. In fact he said in 1931, “I'm sick of guns and beating up women. Movies should be entertaining, not bloodbaths.” When Jimmy heard that Warner’s was doing a follow-up musical, he pushed hard to get a role. After all Cagney’s start was in vaudeville and that was his first love. He said, “Once a song and dance man, always a song and dance man. Those few words tell as much about me professionally as there is to tell.” Also in Footlight Parade is Joan Blondell, who incidentally was discovered with Cagney. (More about that in another blog.) To me, Joan Blondell, is the perfect pre-code actress; blonde, beautiful, and sexy! And she has quick, clever comebacks! Cagney is the producer of “prologues”; short, live stage shows before movies are shown. He works with crooked people who steal his ideas and has the devotion of his secretary, Joan Blondell. Spectacular music and d﻿ance numbers directed by Busby Berkeley. Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933) Starring Warren William, Joan Blondell, Aline MacMahon, Ruby Keeler, Guy Kibbee, Ned Sparks, and Ginger Rogers. This was the movie preceding Footlight Parade. TCM is showing it out of order. However, it is one of the most entertaining musicals you will ever watch! It opens with Ginger Rogers (before Astaire) singing, “We’re in the Money!” She even sings part of it in pig latin. The Gold Diggers are the Joan, Aline, and Ruby, and Ginger has a smaller part. The girls work in a show that keeps getting foreclosed on and they also work on finding rich husbands. Aline goes after Guy Kibbee who plays Faneuil H. Peabody, a delightful old coot who thinks he is not being used by women. Joan goes after the dashing Warren William and they deliver one of my favorite pre-code quotes, “Every time you say 'Cheap and Vulgar' I'm going to kiss you.” “Cheap and Vulgar!” [kiss] “Cheap and Vulgar!” [long kiss]. Considered a risqué song was “Petting in the Park.” One of the most moving numbers sung by Joan Blondell, was “Remember My Forgotten Man.” It’s about the downtrodden World War 1 veterans now suffering because of the Depression. This movie has everything!Search For Beauty (1934) Starring Buster Crabbe, Ida Lupino, Robert Armstrong, and James Gleason. This movie does not have much of a plot, so I am not going to bother to tell you. It is just worth to see a very sexy, and blonde Ida Lupino in her pre-code attire. Also, for the ladies, Buster Crabbe in the shower. These were considered risqué.For the other films listed for TCM, please check your local listings for the times. Hope you watch and enjoy!!!

Credit: ioffer.com

Ida Lupino with Toby Wing (in back) as seen in “Search For Beauty” (1934) Credit: Universal Studios Used under Fair Use.

When it comes to Rudolph Valentino, so much has been said, both fact and fiction. Although I greatly admire him, it is hard to know what else to say. Mostly everyone knows or should know who Valentino was, and the reason they do is because of his tragic death. He was biggest silent film star of his day, struck down in the prime of his life. Valentino died at a New York City hospital after collapsing at the Hotel Ambassador. Despite surgery for appendicitis, he developed peritonitis and then pleurisy and died on August 23, 1926. There was mass hysteria, women committing suicide, thousands coming to the funeral in New York City’s St. Malachy’s Roman Catholic Church. A funeral train from New York to California brought Valentino to another huge mourning at the Hollywood Cemetery (now known as Hollywood Forever Cemetery.) I would like to present some interesting stories I have gathered on Valentino from a couple sources. Rudolph Valentino’s brother, Alberto Guglielmi, (Valentino’s family name) recalls in Kevin Brownlow’s, “Hollywood The Pioneers,” how moved he was at the American peoples outpouring of grief when he accompanied Valentino’s body by train from New York to California. Of particular interest to me personally was a stop in of all places my hometown of Erie. “I was awakened just before dawn, he said, “when the train stopped, and I was informed that a group of people from Erie who had come with guitar, mandolin and the great majority were Italian. They asked permission to sing and play some Italian songs for the memory of Rudy. It was very touching.” Even though the train did not stop through all the towns, many people were kneeling by the rails just to see the funeral procession. **Robert Parrish recalls in his book, “Growing Up in Hollywood,” that his first brush with cult of Hollywood celebrity was with the funeral of Rudolph Valentino. He was in fifth grade at Santa Monica Boulevard School less than a mile from twenty-three film studios. That morning, which was September 7, 1926, his mother Reesie Parrish was reading the morning newspaper at the breakfast table. She read about Valentino’s fiancée, actress, Pola Negri. According the paper account, Negri had arranged the funeral train and accompanied Valentino. “My mother read aloud, “ ‘Rudy’s sweetheart brings body. In the solemnity of the death car, with the blush of the desert morning against the windows on which the shades were partly drawn, the emotional Polish actress was alone with her dead.’” Robert’s mother was visibly upset, but his father was unmoved and was waiting for his toast. She continued, “ ‘ It was, perhaps, the last time the lovers could be alone for days to come, for screenland begins its tribute this afternoon. Every great star and director will be at the ***Hollywood Cemetery to bid farewell to the star of stars.’ “Miss Negri, attired in a simple but striking black costume, was sobbing audibly. Although apparently on the verge of a nervous breakdown, she walked steadily forward to the car where the mortal remains of Valentino lay in the heavy silver-bronze casket.’ “ “ ‘ Ah, dear,” she sobbed, as tears coursed down her cheeks in pitiable grief, “we will soon be home; home, my dear, where you were so happy and life and love were so sweet.” ‘ “ ‘ As she arose and bowed her head over the bier, a delicate little flower dripped from her hand to the draped casket. ‘ “ Robert’s mother wiped away tears. His father was unimpressed. Robert left for school but found weeping women blocking Santa Monica Boulevard by the cemetery. At eleven in the morning the principal announced that school would be closing and that they should go right home. He watched as she and the other women teachers joined the other grievers. Instead of going home, Robert and a friend went to watch the dramatic proceedings. Ladies were trampling other graves just to get to the crypt, flowers and wreaths were everywhere, even a wreath from Mussolini. Even a plane had dropped flowers from the sky. I found it interesting to find an account by someone who was there, but Robert Parrish’s recollections are told rather sarcastically, and that I did not appreciate. **On a side note, the only reason I have this book is because Robert Parrish (who later became an award winning film editor and director,) youngest sister was actress Helen Parrish, who I have devoted a website to and am continuing my research on.** **The cemetery was originally called "Hollywood Memorial Park" until 1998 when it was changed to Hollywood Forever. Sources cited: Hollywood The Pioneers, Kevin Brownlow, Pictures: John Kobal. COLLINS St. James’s Place, London 1979 Growing Up in Hollywood, Robert Parrish, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New York and London 1976

How many people can you think of that have appeared on the cover of Time Magazine that are now largely forgotten by the pages of history? I had never heard of the Mauch Twins (pronounced “Mock”,) until I acquired a stash of movie star scrapbooks from an elderly woman in Ohio. She had meticulously cut out articles and pictures of her favorite stars, when she was growing up in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Among her articles were those of Billy and Bobby Mauch, identical twin child actors of that time. I had to know more. Here is their story: Billy and Bobby Mauch were born on July 6, 1921 in Peoria, Illinois. Billy was the older twin by ten minutes. Their father, Felix, worked for the railroad and their mother, Dorothy, a homemaker, was also a twin. She taught the boys songs, and they began to entertain at banquets and radio stations in Peoria, eventually moving to New York. Billy and Bobby auditioned there and were signed for CBS and NBC radio, performing on shows such as “Beauty Box Revue,” “Lucky Strike,” “Show Boat,” and “March of Time.” Besides singing, the twins could also dance and play the piano. In New York the boys attended The Professional Children School. It was their radio work and appearance in the musical comedy, “Mr. Smith,” that brought them to the attention of Warner Brothers. They were on the look-out for a child actor to play a young Frederic March in the movie “Anthony Adverse.” Warner Brothers wanted a boy that resembled Frederic March at a younger age. After auditioning, Warner’s only wanted to sign Billy, but Mrs. Mauch insisted that Bobby be signed also, and Bobby was the stand-in. The twins were very close and devoted to each other. Billy and Bobby were notorious for their practical jokes and switching places constantly, even while filming. Their mother also had trouble telling them apart. She told an interviewer that Bobby wears a ring with a setting, and Billy wears a plain band ring. The interviewer asked how could she be positive that they never swapped rings? She looked worried. When the Mauch Twins moved to Hollywood, they attended the famous Mar-Ken Professional School. Besides, “Anthony Adverse” in 1936, their other big role came in 1937’s “The Prince and the Pauper.” MGM child actor, Freddie Bartholomew, was considered for the double role as MGM had the rights to the film; however, Warner Brothers purchased “The Prince and the Pauper,” from them realizing real twins would be better in the roles and Billy and Bobby Mauch were signed. Critics complained because Errol Flynn (the star of the film) was not in it that much. Between 1937 and 1938, the boys starred in the “Penrod” series of films about a group of Junior G-Men who tried to solve crimes. Bill and Bobby did not want to be film actors when they grew up, they were more interested in behind the scenes. Although, they did some acting separately up until the 1950’s, the Mauch twins also served in the Air Force during World War ll in the Philippines. Billy Mauch eventually became a sound editor at Warner Brothers and Universal and Bobby Mauch became a film editor with work on the TV show, “Dragnet,” among other shows. Billy married Marjorie Barnewolt in 1953 and had a son, William J. Mauch ll; Bobby married Georgia Shattuck in 1971 and had no children. In child actress Sybil Jason’s book, “Five Minutes More,” Sybil recalled a time when she decided to invite a whole list of child stars she worked with at Warner Brothers for her husband’s surprise birthday party in 1979. Sybil invited both Billy and Bobby Mauch, but only Bobby was able to make it. She remembered how Mrs. Mauch (their mother) was surprised that Sybil was the only one who could tell the twins apart. Bobby and Sybil rekindled their friendship. In Sybil Jason’s book, “My Fifteen Minutes,” Bob Mauch quoted, “To be a friend of Sybil Jason you know you have a real friend. She has a sense of humor and a way of knowing how you feel and is willing to help in any way. The years go by but Sybil remains Sybil…a treasure for all who are blessed by her friendship. I know Bill (Mauch) feels the same way.” William “Billy” Mauch died on September 29, 2006 at the age of 85 and is buried Swan Lake Memory Garden in Peoria, Illinois. Robert “Bobby” Mauch died on October 15, 2007 at the age of 86 and was cremated.

﻿﻿I don’t know how it started, but I guess it’s been with me all my life. In August of 1989, Betty Grable was on the cover of American Movie Classics Magazine and an old soul was born. From complications of my premature birth, I have cerebral palsy. Because I was not as active as most children, I believe it gave me more time to appreciate things. I have always loved History. I watched biographies and old movies. Thomas Edison was my hero, the inventor of the light bulb, phonograph, and motion pictures. (I was actually Edison for Halloween in 2nd grade.) I always knew who Harold Lloyd was and the picture of him hanging from the clock. I knew who Charlie Chaplin was, etc. Around the new millennium, I watched specials about the century and learned about Mary Pickford among others. I also wanted to be Johnny Carson. While others my age were interested in video games, sports, and power rangers, the old things drew me in. They made me happy and for some reason, I could relate. I always felt I was born at the wrong time. It also helped that my mother and grandfather were into old movies too. And we would watch them together. Who else after taking some acting classes at the age of 9, would convince my acting teachers to let me sing “Over There,” (from seeing and falling in love with “Yankee Doodle Dandy”) after a performance of “Aesop’s Fables!” It is within the past five years I decided I have to do something beside watch these old films. So why not try and locate the old stars that were left and try to interview them? I started to write a lot of letters to classic movie stars. The first one to call me was Ann Rutherford! I have also interviewed Donna Reed’s daughter, Mary Owen, Joan Leslie, Dickie Moore, Jane Powell, Marsha Hunt, Jimmy Hawkins, Paul Peterson, and Diana Serra Cary. Diana told me to change my writing name to Robb Sulecki for a more professional sound; however, I still like Bobby. I met Ann Rutherford at Kent State University (which she had arranged) on September 25, 2010. I brought her a dozen roses and picked out a necklace I found in a store near my college. She hugged me and we talked as if we were old friends! I also met Ann’s dear friend, Al Morley and Robert Osborne from TCM! I sat next to Ann at dinner at a gala that night! It was one of the greatest moments in my life! I am the creator of http://www.helenparrish.com/ and http://annrutherford.weebly.com/ My previous blog was http://bobbysuleckigoldenage.blogspot.com/ but it will soon be obsolete. I have had a few articles published in “Classic Images” Magazine, and now I am starting my blog, in hopes to reach a wider audience. My future goals are to come to Hollywood, and later possibly collaborate with others on books and documentaries, and of course continue my research and writings.

**** It took a long time to get this much done, as I am not totally computer savvy. I hope you will support me and my writings and blogs to help further my career. ****

**** I know it doesn't look like much now, but I have many ideas and surprises that I hope will impress you! ****

**** Stay tuned! First blog coming is about two forgotten child stars! ****﻿﻿

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﻿Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal﻿ . 2014 Bobby J. Sulecki